Fantasy Flight Games Adapts Post-Nuclear Adventure Fallout

One of the greatest video game franchises of all time will be adapted by Fantasy Flight Games in 2017 for tabletop gamers. FFG has announced that Fallout: The Board Game will hit tables in Q4 2017.

Based on Bethesda’s blockbuster video games, Fallout: The Board Game will put 1-4 adventurers in a post-nuclear landscape inspired by the worlds represented in Fallout 3 and Fallout 4.

The Great War of 2077 is so long past there is no place in your memory for its events, but the barren landscape before you has its own story to tell. Immaculate homes which once housed seemingly perfect families and busied Mr. Handys have been transformed into empty shells. Humans wander the wasteland among mutated creatures and rogue robots, in search of little more than survival. You are now among them. Sure, this world might be a mere shadow of its former glory, but plenty of adventure and mystery still await a brave traveler. And your adventure has only just begun…

Only a few locations are available on their map at the beginning of the game and players will have to make tough choices as to whether or not to work together or as individuals when exploring this world.

Scenario Based Gameplay

Each scenario begins with a few landmarks to guide you on your quest. The base game includes four scenarios which will be very familiar to franchise fans; The Capital Wasteland, The Pitt, The Commonwealth, and Far Harbor. While key locations are predetermined based on the scenario, the rest of the map territory is variable when setup. Scenario setup will also determine which two factions will be available to play.

The back of the scenario card will include a progress track for each faction, with the game ending when one faction reaches the end of the track, though that faction may not end up the winner.

Much like the video games, choices made along the journey are what make up the adventure. Players will decide whether to pursue experience or Caps, collect loot or add loyal companions to the party, and most critically decide when to continue to progress in the main quest and when to head in a slightly different direction. The scenarios are driven by cards that will provide actions that will need to be completed to move the story in the game forward and moving towards the completion of a main quest, while also providing a path towards side quests.

The game pushes back as time ticks by. While players move around the board filling inventory and building skill, warring factions will be gaining power and will force players to pledge loyalty or defy conformity while working towards establishing themselves as the most influential player in the wasteland.

While the journey is what defines Fallout: The Board Game, someone needs to be a winner. Influence cards will be collected as quests and actions are completed, earning you glory.

Fantasy Flight Games has provided a walkthrough of some of the key cards (character cards, influence cards) and concepts (HP, possessions, XP, special tokens) in their product launch announcement.

While Fantasy Flight Games has listed Fallout: The Board Game as a Q4 2017 game, attendees to the sold out GenCon 2017 can likely expect game components inside a glass case at the FFG booth.

Fallout Video Games

The Fallout Video Game series dates back 20 years, with the first Fallout game having been released in 1997, with seven additional games and spinoff games having been released since then.

The reception to the first game cemented the legacy of the franchise. The game was ranked as the fourth best PC game of all time by PC Gamer, and has been inducted in the video game Hall of Fames by Computer Gaming World, GameSpot, GameSpy and IGN. The Smithsonian featured the game in their “Art of Video Games” exhibit alongside Fallout 3. Gamespot included the game in a list of 10 best video game endings, while Game Informer featured it in a list of top game openings.

Building off the content of seven video games, Fantasy Flight Games will have plenty of material to develop future expansions should Fallout: The Board Game find any of the success of the original video games.

Born in the wilds of northern Canada, Burbidge spent his early professional life as a gold miner before making his way into the art and culture field in Atlanta and then Calgary (both Olympic cities!). In his spare time, he enjoys playing board games, spending time with his wife, Christina, and creating art with textiles, a hobby that intertwines his interests in mathematics, sheepherding and wearable art.